A day later, coaches from around the country continue to pay their respects to Joe Paterno. One coach who played for Paterno, Miami head coach Al Golden, shared his thoughts on Twitter Monday morning.
Golden's thoughts, edited together, are quoted below.
"Walter Payton once said, "Always remember that every opportunity you have to meet someone is an opportunity to leave a piece of yourself. Joe Paterno, not only fulfilled a promise he made to his father by making an impact, he left an indelible piece of himself with everyone he touched the values Coach Paterno instilled in each of us fortunate enough to play for or work alongside him will never be diminished. They are manifested in our leadership, character, class and dedication to improving the lives of others in the classroom, workforce & community they are distinctly evident in the way we raise our children and the types of husbands and fathers we have grown to be.
I am forever grateful for the impact that Joseph Vincent Paterno has made on my life and I am not ashamed to say to Coach and his [family] that the way of your former players will carry your legacy forward is by humbly improving the lives of those we touch every day.”
Golden ended his string of tweets with the hash tag #ThankUJoe.
Golden played under Paterno from 1987 to 1991 and served as a linebackers coach for the 2000 season before moving to Virginia to take a job as defensive coordinator for four seasons. Golden was named the head coach of the Temple Owls for the 2006 season and held the job, pulling Temple out of the ruins of college football, before accepting a head coaching job at Miami before the 2011 season.
Kevin McGuire is a national college football writer for Examiner.com and the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast. He can be reached at cfbexaminer@gmail.com.
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